Ayurvedic Strategies for Spring (Kapha) Congestion

Have you ever wondered why your mucus membranes become more irritated, productive, or dry each winter? In a perfect world, we would live in harmony with the seasonal harvest, and nature would provide protection of the body’s mucus membranes.

However,
today we live in houses with dry heat that triggers excess mucus production,
congestion, and postnasal drip each spring. Many of us eat diets that don’t vary
much throughout the year, and we migrate from house to office to car, cooled to
72ﾟ in the summer and heated
to 72ﾟ in the winter.

Living
predominately indoors disconnects us from nature by insulating us not only from
changing seasonal temperatures, but also from light-dark circadian cycles. Mucus
membranes that line the respiratory and digestive tracts react first.

One study shows that the average American experiences only one to two hours of sunlight per day in the summer, and much of that is through the window of a car. In winter, sunlight exposure is much less.1

Such a disconnect from seasonal cycles forces us to react abruptly to each seasonal change. Mucus membranes exposed to the outer environment through breath and digestion may be shocked and overreact to seasonal changes because we have insulated ourselves from the graceful transition nature intended. For that, Ayurveda had a plan.

We Recommend

Herbs for Balancing Spring (Kapha) Congestion

As
the seasons change, dry and irritated membranes may produce reactive mucus to protect against accumulating
heat and the dryness.

Production of excess reactive mucus in the respiratory and intestinal tract can bog down cilia and villa, compromising absorption of nutrients and natural intestinal detoxification, while congesting the sinuses and upper respiratory tract as we approach winter.

Dry or excess mucus in the respiratory or intestinal tract can alter the natural environment that supports healthy and beneficial bacteria. Excess or depleted mucus can be a breeding ground for undesirable bacteria, which compete for the same resources as trillions of beneficial bacteria required for optimal health and a robust immune system.

Nature not only provides cooling fruits and vegetables in the summer and warming, lubricating, and insulating nuts, seeds, and grains in the winter, but also numerous herbal plants to balance mucus membranes.

We Recommend

Sitopladi Churna

Ayurveda‘s classic formula for a healthy respiratory tract is a combination of herbs called sitopladi churna, which consists of cane sugar, a type of bamboo called banslochan (Bambusa arundinacea), long pepper or pippali fruit (Piper longum), cardamom seed (Elettaria cardamomum), and cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia).

Sitopladi
churna has properties that allow for natural expectoration of mucus. It
balances kapha (phlegm), vata (dryness), and pitta (acute irritation, heat, and
dryness) in the chest, throat, and respiratory tract.2

Sitopladi
has been shown to support a healthy antioxidant effect3 and boost immunity
in the respiratory tract.4

Trikatu

To make this formula even more beneficial for balancing vata and kapha respiratory tracts, we combine it with turmeric and a bio-enhancing formula called trikatu, which consists of ginger, long pepper, and black pepper.

These pungent agents help balance mucus production, while boosting respiratory defenses. They also act as bio-availability enhancers or bio-enhancers, as they drive absorption and boost effectiveness of other herbs in the formula.5,7

The bio-enhancing effect is called yogavahi in Ayurveda. Numerous herbs in Ayurveda are classified as yogavahi and are used as drivers or bio-enhancers in many formulas.5

Turmeric

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a pungent root well-documented to support a healthy immune system, the external and internal skin (which lines the intestinal and respiratory tracts), healthy clear respiration, and natural expectoration of healthy lungs.6

Turmeric also supports a healthy environment of mucus membranes, in which beneficial bacteria can proliferate, which compete with undesirable bacteria for growing space in both respiratory and intestinal tracts.6

Bringing it All
Together

Many of us have mucus membrane issues in the winter and spring. That’s why we’ve combined all of the above ingredients into one of my favorite LifeSpa formulas: Mucus Destroyer.

Comments

Just wondering if the above mentioned herbs would be ok to add to the food of a cat. My cat has issues with sneezing and sometimes sounds congested. Not sure if pepper would be the best choice but perhaps tumeric. Look forward to hearing any suggestions.

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* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of John Douillard. They are not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, and they are not intended as medical advice. They are intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of John Douillard and his community. John Douillard encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.